9 Strategies to Turn Into a Top Social Media Influencer

What do you need to become a social media influencer? A unique voice, deeply engaging content and a niche that makes your content unique to you. Throw in a bunch of followers that grow consistently, and you’ve nailed it.

Easy, right?

Not quite.

With the active population on Instagram and Facebook both crossing the 1 billion mark, it takes more than ‘great content’ to turn into a social media influencer whose voice is respected and whose following is so genuine, brands employ them to become advocates or ambassadors for the brand.

To help you achieve influencer status, here are some phenomenal tips to help you become a top influencer yourself!

Visibility matters

Be present on every platform possible, and do something consistently. Work with a social media plan that you create for yourself. From Twitter chats to Google Plus hangouts, Periscope broadcasts to in-person social media conferences, there is no better way to become a social media influencer, in addition to becoming a content creator and creating your own community, than by interacting with others, learning their needs, and helping them. With great influence comes great responsibility! ( by Neal Schaffer (@NealSchaffer))

Create a unique brand aesthetic...

Delicious feeds make for successful influencers.

And maintain it! Aesthetic is so important in the age of social media, especially for platforms like Instagram and Snapchat that are so visual. And if you’re selling physical products on Instagram, you need to be using a creative and consistent brand aesthetic. A vibrant brand aesthetic is core strategy for selling apparel. (Cassey Ho, fitness blogger, founder of @blogilates)

Take It Offline

Social media is meant to be social, so you should dedicate time to meeting your community members and fellow influencers in real life. These in-person relationships can flourish beautifully online. The more time you can spend actually connecting offline, the more connected and engaged you will be online. Don’t just join Instagram pods, build and nurture real friendships with people in your online community and attend events where you can meet new people.

Go Live

If you are unable to host events regularly or maintain an on ground presence, going Live really helps. Instagram and Facebook have brought people closer together than ever with the Live features, which even sends out a notifications to friends and followers whenever you go Live. This feature is great for announcements and event engagements.

Focus on the idea, not the product

People who believe content marketing is simply writing about their products or services and pointing out how great their product or service is - are going to get monotonous. Also, that path will not lead to you becoming a social media influencer. Instead, provide useful industry-related content 80-90% of the time, where the discussion features thought leadership and innovative ideas over actual products and services. Let the promo content be a minority.

Your individual opinion matters

There’s a topic or theme that is being discussed, but what do you have to say about it? What about your existence makes the content unique? According to a survey conducted by Augure, 79% of respondents said a social media influencer must be able to concisely express their opinions and create reactions when discussing a particular topic. Don't be afraid to voice your opinions, even if that opinion may not be the most popular one.

Listen to relevant conversations on social media

Being a social media influencer means staying on top of all the news and happenings relevant to your industry. You can use tools like Social Mention to track all industry-related social media conversations. Know and follow what is being said on social media. Know what the information means. Form a concrete, well thought out opinion and express it your way!

Optimize your content for high-profile keywords

If you want to become a social media influencer for real, your favourite alphabets in the English language must become S - E - O. Use tools like Moz to discover search words relevant to your industry. Ranking for industry-related keywords is not only important for driving traffic, but for building your influence. If you rank highly for coveted industry terms, it will boost your reputation as a leader in your field.

Connect with other influencers

People tend to associate us and our reputation with the company we keep. So connecting with other influencers not only boosts your reputation as "someone to watch," it potentially opens you up to new opportunities and relationships you would never have otherwise had.

Go ahead and work, work relentlessly to turn your thoughts and ideas into work that the world can see and appreciate. If you work consistently enough, you will be well on your way to becoming an acclaimed and much appreciated social media influencer!